


i need no ring

by elibe



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Rekka no Ken | Fire Emblem: Blazing Sword
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Slight Canon Divergence, i guess??, listen. i love these boys, lucius is a distinguished gay and raven is a disaster gay, there's heathgault if you squint, title is a play on words of That Line in their A support
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-28
Updated: 2019-04-28
Packaged: 2020-02-08 16:30:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,354
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18626977
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elibe/pseuds/elibe
Summary: Raven wasn’t even sure if priests could marry in the first place, not to mention that they were both men – certain parts of Elibe would sooner wed a horse to a cow. Despite this, Raven knew that he wanted to marry Lucius (possibly more than he had ever wanted anything in his life).





	i need no ring

**Author's Note:**

> in which raven is emotionally incompetent and lucius is too damn handsome (which isn't helping at all)
> 
> i love these boys so much! wrote this on impulse a few weeks ago & wasn't gonna post it anywhere but there is a disturbing lack of luciraven content so. here you go!
> 
> this is slightly ooc but listen. i needed to make this as disgustingly sweet as possible.

_I want to marry Lucius._

The thought had come to Raven on a particularly quiet evening after the sun had set and the insects had started to chirp outside. Of course, he had considered it before, but he felt different now that the war had ended and he had extinguished his admittedly precarious plans for revenge on House Ostia.

Ironically enough, he and Lucius were staying in Castle Ostia, on the behalf of Hector and his overzealous hospitality. He had insisted upon housing the recently-disbanded army until they each had decided on their post-war whereabouts. Many had left already: Dorcas, for example, had returned to his home and wife with his earnings, while Heath and Legault had seemingly disappeared into the night (together, Raven suspected). Eliwood and Lyndis had departed to their respective homelands after a night of celebrations and farewells, which had featured a tearful toast from Hector and a drunken rendition of an old folk song by Sain. Raven was not entirely sure what his own future held, but that was okay, now that he knew Lucius would be there to face it with him.

The latter had laid with Raven in bed that night, as he had been doing so lately, whether his intentions were chaste or not. Lucius was lazily rubbing small circles on the back of Raven’s palm as he tried not to doze off in the comfortable haze of their shared presence. The weight of Lucius’ hand on his own was a tangible reminder that yes, however unlikely Raven had thought this was, it was _real._

He’d had a sweet spot for the monk ever since they were younger. They had been best friends for as long as Raven remembered; finding ways to spend time with each other amidst their respective schedules. Raven had always been expected to be a model child — a child that followed rules, attended lessons and lectures, who studied of his own volition — with him being of noble blood and all. Instead, he’d spend his study time in the library with Lucius, who would read him passages from holy books while Raven would pocket sweets from the kitchens for the two of them to share.

It was when Raven grew older and his parents began to speak of marriage and betrothal that Raven realized he loved Lucius. How could he ever marry a woman, live the life of a Lord, pass down his noble blood, when he was hopelessly in love with his best friend? When Raven had never felt the way he did for Lucius about any woman, or _anyone_ , for that matter?

Raven had nearly convinced himself that Lucius loved him back when he caught the boy staring at him with a certain fondness in his eyes that made his stomach flip. They’d find excuses to be closer, to stay up late, to brush skin. Raven allowed himself to rest his head on his friend’s shoulder when they read together in the library. Lucius has even held his hand, once, when he was sure that nobody was watching them. That had all changed, of course, when the manor had burned down —

 _— No._ His breath caught in his throat. Raven stopped himself. He didn’t need to think about that.

The two had spent years in some sort of limbo until finally Raven had uttered a sloppy confession when the army had stayed in Castle Pherae. It was mostly fueled by anxiety over their inevitable, most definitely bloody, confrontation with Nergal; the possibility of them losing this fight weighed heavily on his shoulders. Raven owed it to Lucius to tell him. If Lucius never wanted to speak to him again, so be it. Raven’s dear friend deserved to know the truth.

Never in his wildest dreams had Raven ever imagined that Lucius would _reciprocate_ his feelings. After an intense discussion over their post-war plans, Raven, in the heat of the moment, suggested that he wanted to start a home with Lucius. The man was understandably confused, leading to Raven avoiding him all day, until he had psyched himself up enough to speak to Lucius again. When he confessed to his dearest friend, Lucius had merely tugged Raven aside, cupped his hands around his face, and kissed him.

 _You are insufferable, Raymond…_ Lucius had said. _You should know by now that I would not dream of letting you wander Elibe alone — especially knowing the kind of trouble you’d get yourself into! Why do you think I’ve been travelling with you this whole time? I care for you. I love you. You have no need to worry about where my loyalties lie._

“Ray?” The voice jolted Raven out of his thoughts. Their sheets rustled as Lucius shifted so that he was facing Raven, whose heart fluttered in his chest as Lucius’ clear blue eyes met his.

“Hmm?”

Lucius blinked. “Oh. It’s nothing much... You looked worried.” He squeezed Raven’s hand, sending a shiver through his body. His hand was soft and cool in contrast to Raven’s naturally warmer temperature. “Is everything alright?”

Raven’s lips quirked upwards. “More than alright. I was just thinking for a moment.” Lucius nodded, seeming content with his answer, but Raven could tell that his lover was still curious about what had been on his mind.

“Good.” Lucius smiled and Raven felt flush, nearly feverish. He was undoubtedly the most handsome man Raven had ever met.

He had thought himself foolish for ever thinking that Lucius would settle for the likes of him. Hell, sometimes Raven still had a hard time believing that Lucius truly did want him. The man was good, _too good_ , he thought, to be with Raven. However, the tenderness in his gaze as he held Raven’s hand as if it were something delicate and precious (and it definitely wasn’t) told him all he needed to know about Lucius’ feelings for him.

A silence engulfed the pair, heavy with the humidity from their open window. Lucius moved closer to Raven and tucked his head into the crook of his neck. He could feel the warmth of Lucius’ breath against his skin.

“You know you can tell me. If you need to, that is.” Lucius said, his voice but a murmur.

The former lord was sure that his love could hear his heart trip and thud against his ribcage. Telling Lucius that he loved him had been difficult enough – how could Raven possibly ask for the other man’s hand in marriage? He wasn’t even sure if priests _could_ marry in the first place – not to mention that they were both men – certain parts of Elibe would sooner marry a horse to a cow.

Despite this, Raven knew that he wanted to marry Lucius (possibly more than he had ever wanted anything in his life) and he scorned himself for being so cowardly. He could tell Lucius anything. Raven trusted him more than he trusted himself. Why was this so difficult; even more difficult than marching into any battle had ever been?

Raven ran his fingers through Lucius’ hair, which had become somewhat of a nervous habit of his. He swallowed. “Forgive me, I have a foolish question to ask you.”

His bedfellow pulled back slightly so that he could see Raven’s face in the dim light. Lucius arched an eyebrow. “There are no foolish questions, Raymond. I _did_ just say that you could tell me anything.” There was a teasing lilt to Lucius’ voice. Raven wasn’t sure if that made things easier or harder for him.

“Can – ” Raven paused and let his eyes settle on his lover’s collarbone; he was too sheepish to meet his questioning gaze. “Can people of the cloth marry?” Raven stuttered as his voice died in his throat.

It was Lucius’ turn to look flustered now. His hand fell to Raven’s shoulder and it fidgeted against his skin. “I-I suppose so.” His face reddened. “I mean, I’m not entirely certain, but I don’t see why not.” Lucius pursed his lips. “The Saint teaches that love in all righteous forms is holy… One of our sworn duties to the church as Her clergy is to uphold all that is holy and sacred – in Her eyes and in our own.”

Raven did his best to steel his nerves, imagining that he was dueling a nondescript foe in combat, which, unfortunately, did nothing to calm him. His heart might as well burst at this point.

“If that is truly what you believe – and forgive me if I am being too forward – then I want to marry you, Lucius.” Raven took a shaky inhale of air. Bitterly, he noted that his eyes were misty. Raven supposed that was what he got for being vulnerable. “It wouldn’t change much, I suppose. I’d still love you the same. I think it would be a nice thing, though, but I don’t know if anyone _would_ marry us – Hell! I don’t even have a ring – ”

“Raymond!”

Raven went silent. He summoned the courage to look into his lover’s eyes, desperately searching for some kind of an answer. Lucius stared back, an unreadable expression on his face. He brought a delicate hand up to Raven’s cheek.

“There is no need for tears, Raymond.” Lucius chided, wiping at Raven’s eyes. “You have nothing to be ashamed of. You don’t ever have to ask my forgiveness for being honest, you know that, right?”

Raven tilted his head in a slight nod. Lucius smiled at him again, although this one was even softer and more radiant than the last.

“Of course I’ll take your hand in marriage. Of course I will, why wouldn’t I?” Lucius brought their heads together and rested his forehead on Raven’s own. “I need no ring, Raymond, and I think you knew that before you asked this of me.”

Raven’s breath caught in his throat as he digested the other man’s words _. Lucius doesn’t want to leave me. Lucius wants to marry me. Lucius is_ going _to marry me._

If he were anywhere near a rational state of mind, Raven would have been embarrassed at the half-sob, half-laugh that bubbled from his mouth. Lucius kissed him through his tears, hand still firmly cupping his jaw.

“Did you really think I would reject you?” Lucius’ voice raised in pitch with concern. “Were you afraid I would leave you after you asked this of me?”

Raven’s silence was all the answer Lucius needed. He pulled away from Raven in favor of meeting his eyes with an intense gaze.

“If I were truly uncomfortable with anything you have done, I would have left you a long time ago.” His usually-gentle voice was level and firm. “As long as you are honest you have nothing to fear, Raymond, and you have been nothing but truthful as long as we’ve been together.”

Raven nodded again, finding that it was the only thing he was capable of doing at the moment. He forgoed words in favor of leaning into Lucius again, Raven’s hands pressing flat against his back. He could feel Lucius’ smile on his lips as he threaded his fingers through Raven’s hair.

After a few breathless kisses Lucius pulled away, snickering.

“What?” Raven asked indignantly, scoffing at the smug look on his partner’s face.

Lucius only giggled louder. “Sorry, sorry. I had thought of something amusing.”

“Do share.”

Lucius toyed with a lock of Raven’s hair. “After we marry would I be considered a lord? I mean, _technically_ you still are of noble blood.” The blonde’s eyes shone with amusement.

Raven let out a bark of laughter. “I suppose so.” He could barely connect himself to his noble upbringing, so the thought of Lucius settling for the fancy, gilded life of a lord was unimaginable. “I can just imagine you summoning for court jesters and ordering townsfolk around.”

The other man chuckled, the uptilt of his head making his hair catch the moonlight. It was the little things like that, Raven thought, that made him love Lucius even more. He was unaware of his own beauty (somehow making him even _more_ attractive in Raven’s eyes). Raven doubted that he would ever grow tired of their relationship. Hell, how could he? Any man would be lucky to have Lucius’ affections! (and Raven thought himself the luckiest person in Elibe).

The priest stifled a yawn and pulled their fancy Ostian sheets higher. “We should sleep,” Lucius suggested as he brushed a few stray hairs out of Raven’s eyes.

Raven doubted he was capable of sleep after what had just transpired. Adrenaline still rushed through his veins, making Raven feel even more foolish for ever questioning Lucius’ affections.

He pouted, shifting to a more comfortable position. “What if I don’t want to sleep?”

Lucius snorted and poked at Raven’s chest. “Raymond! Get your mind out of the gutter!”

“Oh — I didn’t mean it like that!” He insisted. His boyfriend’s — no, _fiancé’s —_ face scrunched up like it did whenever he was perturbed. _Cute,_ Raven thought as he failed to hide the rouse of laughter building in his chest.

“Mm-hmm.” Lucius hummed in an exasperated tone. Nevertheless, his hand found its way to Raven’s own, and he intertwined their fingers, a gesture that Raven found ridiculously sweet.

Raven, ever the romantic, squeezed his lover’s hand and left a lingering kiss on his forehead. “Goodnight, Lucius.” Raven’s voice was no louder than a whisper and barely audible over the pleasant chirping of crickets outside.

“Goodnight, love.” His fiancé — _gods, it felt so good to call him that! —_ hummed before his voice trailed off into the crisp evening air.

Raven still had to figure out where to find a ring. Of course, he believed Lucius when the other man assured him that he did not need a ring, but perhaps the inkling of nobility left in Raven made him a sucker for traditional romance. _Hmm._ Perhaps he could convince Matthew or Wil to steal one on their next visit to a marketplace.

 _That can wait,_ Raven decided, as he pulled the covers up higher. The mercenary allowed himself to smile as his eyelids drooped, his heart steady and mind content. _That can wait for now._

 


End file.
